20 Amazing Uses for Herbs to Heal Your Body and Mind

20 Amazing Uses for Herbs to Heal Your Body and Mind

For almost every prescription treatment for what ails us is a plant, herb, or other natural substance that has been used as a treatment for hundreds of years by naturalists and herbalists. But how effective are these folk remedies, really? Evidence on most of these treatments is still somewhat inconclusive, but you may be surprised to learn how many beneficial herbs you could be keeping in your spice rack.

Important note: As with most things of this nature, this is not professional medical advice. Always seek out your doctor’s advice on any kind of treatment, natural or otherwise, before taking it.

1. Ginger: Prevent nausea

How to use it: Some specialists recommend taking ginger before the nausea sets in; for example, if you know you get airsick, you can chew ginger gum before takeoff. If taking ginger when nausea is already present, there are a variety of products including teas and candies that contain the root.

2. Chamomile: Promote sleep

photo source: FromSandToGlass via Flickr

Basics: There have been very few scientific studies on chamomile’s ability to encourage sleep, but it remains a popular herb for this purpose.

How to use it: Chamomile as a sleep aid is typically taken as a warm tea, with many brands specifically marketing it as a “nighttime” or “sleepytime” tea.

3. Ginseng: Fortify energy levels

How to use it: Ginseng can be found in a number of products including “natural” energy drinks, though as with all energy drinks these should be used with caution. You can also get ginseng in capsule form, often grouped with other herb and vitamin capsules at regular grocery stores, as well as health food and supplement stores.

4. Licorice: Soothe a sore throat

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Basics: There has been some scientific examination of licorice root’s anti-inflammatory effects on sore throats, with promising results.

How to use it: You can find teas and lozenges with licorice root at a variety of grocery and health food stores, as well as online.

5. Nettle: Treat dandruff

photo source: J Brew via Flickr

Basics: Despite the name, stinging nettle has a number of recognized medicinal properties including as an anti-inflammatory. It has also been used as a natural treatment for dandruff.

How to use it: There are a few commercial shampoo products containing stinging nettle, though you may have better luck on sites like Etsy.

11. Mint: Soothe an upset stomach

How to use it: Mint tea is the most common and popular way to ingest the herb.

12. Calendula: Prevent wound infections

photo source: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra via Flickr

Basics: More commonly known as marigolds, calendula has several practical uses, most notably as a wound healing agent. This is due to the plant’s antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties.

How to use it: Topical ointments and creams containing calendula can be bought online or at health food and supplement stores.

13. Eucalyptus: Relieve lung congestion

photo source: Gary Sauer-Thompson via Flickr

Basics: Perhaps best known for being the food of choice for koalas, eucalyptus is also used as a cleaning agent and to treat lung problems. It appears to have an mucolytic (mucus-clearing) and anti-inflammatory component that works particularly well in this area.

How to use it: Eucalyptus essential oil is a good option to keep by your bed or, if you can find it, use a vapor rub with eucalyptus as one of the primary ingredients.

14. Comfrey: Alleviate dry skin

photo source: Dinesh Valke via Flickr

Basics: Comfrey has had a somewhat controversial history in recent decades, and is now not recommended for any kind of internal use. Topical use of the plant is still pervasive, however, as it has shown a notable ability to treat dry or inflamed skin.

How to use it: Though it may be harder to find them in mainstream product lines, you can often find comfrey soaps and lotions on sites like Etsy or anywhere else artisan grooming products are sold.

15. Chrysanthemum: heal the common cold

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Basics: Chrysanthemum’s medicinal properties are not widely tested by Western scientists, but it is a popular part of Chinese treatments for colds and other mild sickness.

How to use it: Warm chrysanthemum tea is recommended.

16. Rosemary: Improve your memory

photo source: Rebecca Siegel via Flickr

Basics: This ultra-fragrant, evergreen herb has garnered interest in recent decades for medical and pharmaceutical uses, most notably as a mild memory enhancer.

How to use it: Aromatherapy products such as essential oils can be found for rosemary, but the plant itself can leave a noticeable scent even when dried.

17. Passionflower: Reduce anxiety

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Basics: There are around 500 species under the Passiflora genus, most of which are appreciated for their beautiful blooms as well as their tasty fruit. It has proven to be a viable treatment for some forms of anxiety.

How to use it: Passionflower tea has a pleasant and sweet taste and can be found in both health food stores and most regular grocers. Tinctures and essential oils also exist.

18. Parsley: Fight bad breath

photo source: cookbookman17 via Flickr

Basics: Parsley is packed full of vitamins and has some more specific uses, such as treating bad breath. This may be due in large part to the plant’s high concentration of chlorophyll, which has some evidence of treating halitosis.

How to use it: Consuming it in your food, by itself, or in a blended drink are all good ways of using parsley for this particular ailment.

19. Tobacco: Treat bee stings

photo source: Curtis Perry via Flickr

Basics: Tobacco is regarded for little else than its addictive nicotine content, but it also doubles as a surprisingly impressive way to treat bee and wasp stings. Tobacco acts as a sort of anesthetic to the area, possibly helping to draw out the sting’s toxins as well.

How to use it: Unroll a cigarette and place the tobacco against the sting, then hold it down with a moist washcloth. The moisture is needed so that “juice” will flow to the sting.

Jane is finishing a Media Studies major at Scripps College in Southern California and hails from Seattle. They enjoy voraciously consuming articles and op-eds online, spending hard-earned funds on Steam sales, and inquiring if there is "wifi and/or wine here". A constant theorist as well as a (wannabe) Internet culture savant.